The increase in belly fat, an excess abdominal fat that hangs over a belt line, is often associated with the consumption of beer. This belly fat is commonly known as beer belly, beer gut or potbelly.

Does beer really cause belly fat? It seems that heavy beer drinkers are more likely to grow bellies as they get older, especially if they are men. However, not all beer drinkers have beer bellies and what makes this question tricky is that even people who don’t drink at all can have beer bellies.

Well, beer alone may not cause the belly fat but the average beer can have more than 150 calories. This makes the calories in the body build fast for people who drink too much beer. The belly fat can be increased by too many kinds of calories, not necessarily from drinking alcohol. These calories could be from eating sugary foods or simply from eating too many heavy meals.

Why there are more men with beer bellies than women?

One has to understand how the body stores fat in order to understand why men are more likely to gain weight in their bellies than women. The default fat storage for men is the belly and when men eat too much without exercising, the belly runs out of space. The body starts storing the fat elsewhere when the belly is unable to store fat anymore. This puts men with large bellies at a higher medical risk as the fat starts to build up in the muscles, liver and pancreas. This causes diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart diseases.

The weight gain is different for women as their bodies normally store fat in their arms, buttocks and thighs. Women are able to receive the needed energy when they are pregnant because of the fat that is stored in these storage places. Women can, however, develop belly fat if the hips, thighs and legs are filled up. Women will also be at the risk of medical problems if belly fat develops into a full potbelly.

Age also plays a role in the increased amount of belly fat. As both men and woman grow older, the levels of their hormones decrease and they tend to store fat in their midsection.

Some people can even have firm beer bellies. These people are at a higher risk of health problems. The hard beer belly is often caused by the buildup of fat in the internal organs. The fat begins to push the abnormal wall outward exaggerating the appearance of the potbelly.

For someone who wants to lose belly fat, the first step is knowing there is no magic formula. There is no muti that will make it disappear overnight. To lose the belly fat the person will have to lose body weight. This can be very challenging as the person will have to give consistent attention to a balanced diet and suitable portion sizes, combined with regular exercise.

Drinking less beer, if the person does not want to quit, will help drinkers to reduce the amount of calories that builds up in their bodies. Losing weight through exercising is very effective when people combine both cardio and strength exercises. The weight will likely disappear in the midsection first, because the fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity can be broken down quicker than other types of body fat.

In short, the beer belly is not only caused by drinking too much beer. People who don’t drink at all can have beer bellies if they don’t eat healthy food and exercise.

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